Sentence Correction Flashcards
Every sentence must contain the following 2 things..
Every sentence must contain a subject and verb, and they must make logical sense together and agree in number (singular / plural)
Define a fragment sentence
An incomplete sentence missing a subject or verb
Define a main clause
A main clause is a clause that can stand alone as a sentence as is, with its own subject and verb
Define subordinators and subordinate clauses
Subordinators turn clauses that they are attached to into Subordinate Clauses. They are connecting words that create subordinate clauses which can in turn attach to a main clause with a comma (although, after, if, though, because, since, unless, while, before, when, that)
Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone (ex. Because - “Because the dog was never mine” is a subordinate clause that we could fix by attaching to a main clause or dropping the subordinator)
Identify the subject “The discovery of new medicines was vital to the company’s growth.”
Discovery, not new medicines, is the correct subject.
Be sure to identify the correct subject and verb as the GMAT tries to disguise the subject
Can a noun in a prepositional phrase be the subject?
No
What should we eliminate when we are looking for the correct subject?
Eliminate the “middlemen” such as:
1) Prepositional Phrase - modify or describe other parts of the sentence
2) Subordinate Clauses - cannot stand alone
3) Other Modifiers - modify or describe other portions of the sentence
- Present Participles (-ing forms derived from verbs)
- Past Participles (-ed and -en forms derived from verbs)
How can we form a compound plural subject?
“And” can unite two or more singular objects forming a compound plural subject
Define an additive phrase and do they differ from “and”
An additive phrase is words and phrases that act like “and” and add to the subject
Ex. including, along with, in addition to, as well as, accompanied by, together with
However, only “and” can chance a singular subject into a plural one
Singular subjects following by an additive phrase are still singular subjects (ex. Joe, as well as his friends, IS going to the beach)
What is the purpose of “or”, “either … or”, “neither… nor”
The phrases “or”, “either … or”, “neither… nor” can link two nouns
Sometimes one is singular and one is plural
The verb should agree agree with the nearest noun
(ex. Neither the coach nor the PLAYERS ARE going to the beach)
(ex. Neither the players nor the COACH IS going to the beach)
If “either” or “neither” appear alone (without “or” or “nor”) they are considered singular and only take singular verbs
Define collective nouns
Collective nouns are almost always a singular noun that refers to a group of people or objects
ex. agency, class, team, equipment, furniture
Define indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are not specific to the thing to which they refer. They are:
- Any pronoun that ends in -one, -body, or -thing
- Usually singular and require singular verb forms
ex. anyone, anybody, anything
ex. no one, nobody, nothing
ex. each, every (as pronouns)
ex. everyone, everybody, everything
ex. someone, somebody, something
ex. either, neither (may require plural verb if paired with or/neither)
ex. whatever, whoever
“Each” and “every” require singular verbs as the subject of the sentence
(ex. EVERY dog and cat HAS paws)
If “each follows the subject, then it does not determine the verb form
(ex. THEY each ARE great tennis players.)
What are the 5 indefinite pronouns that can be either singular or plural depending on the context of a sentence
SANAM Pronouns
Some Any None All More / Most
ex. SOME of the MONEY WAS stolen
ex. SOME of the DOCUMENTS WERE stolen
**Not one is always singular
What is true about idiomatic expressions that designate quantities or parts?
In idiomatic expressions that designate quantities or parts, the subject of the sentence is in an of-prepositional phrase
They are the exception to the rule that the subject cannot be in a prepositional phrase (ex. “a number of” and “half of”)
(ex. HALF OF the PIE IS blueberry, and HALF OF the SLICES ARE already gone.)
Majority, minority and plurality are singular or plural depending on the context
Are subject phrases and clauses always singular or plural?
Subject phrases and clauses are always singular
subject in singular phrase ex. “Having good friends IS a wonderful thing.”
subject in clause ex. “Whatever they want to do IS fine with me.”
What is the Flip It Tip?
In most sentences, the subject precedes the verb, but the GMAT can try to trick you by having it the other way around.
If confused, flip the order so that the subject precedes the verb
WRONG: There IS a young man and an older woman at the bus stop.
FLIP IT: A young man and older woman IS at the bus stop. (by flipping it, we can see that the verb should be plural, not singular)
RIGHT: There ARE a young man and older woman at the bus stop.
What is parallelism?
Parallelism states that comparable sentence parts must be structurally and logically similar
Common parallel markers indicate a need for the sentence to be parallel: X and Z Bother X and Z X or Z Either X or Z Not X but Z Not only X but also Z X rather than Z From X to Z
Almost anything in a sentence can be made parallel including nouns, adjectives, verbs, infinitives, participles, prepositional phrases, and subordinate clauses
Note that certain idioms require parallelism as a result of their structure
What is a linking verb?
Linking verbs express what the subject is or what condition the subject is in (instead of expressing what it does)
ex. To be (other forms of “to be”: is, are, was, were, am, been, be, being)
ex. appear, become, feel, grow, looking, remain, taste, seem, represent, resemble, smell, sound
Treat any linking verb as a parallel marker
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, so that we do not have to repeat it elsewhere in the sentence
Pronoun errors are frequent in the GMAT
Third Person Personal Pronouns include: It, Its, They, Them, Their
What is an antecedant?
An antecedent is a noun that gives a pronoun meaning and must actually exist in the sentence as a noun
It must logically agree (test by replacing the pronoun with the noun or noun phrase)
It was agree in number (singular antededant must refer to a singular pronoun, same goes for plural)
Which one is correct?
Whenever a student calls, take down THEIR information.
Whenever a student calls, take down HIS OR HER information.
Correct: Whenever a student calls, take down HIS OR HER information.
What is a demonstrative pronoun?
Demonstrative pronouns can be used as adjectives in front of nouns (ex. This, That, These, Those)
“That” or “Those” can be used to indicate a “new copy” or copies of the antecedent; “It”, “They”, and other personal pronouns refer to the same antecedent
ex. THE MONEY spent by her parents is less than THAT spent by her children.
“That” or “Those” indicating a new copy or copies must also be modified to indicate how the new copy is different from the previous version (“less than” in the example above)
Any “new copy” from “that” or “those” must agree in number with the previous version; however, if we want to change then number then we repeat the noun
Which one is correct?
Her company is outperforming THOSE OF her competitors.
Her company is outperforming THE COMPANIES OF her competitors.
Correct: Her company is outperforming THE COMPANIES OF her competitors.
Demonstrative pronoun rules:
“That” or “Those” indicating a new copy or copies must also be modified to indicate how the new copy is different from the previous version (“less than” in the example above)
Any “new copy” from “that” or “those” must agree in number with the previous version; however, if we want to change then number then we repeat the noun
Which one is correct?
Her products are unusual; many consider THESE unique.
Her products are unusual; many consider THEM unique.
Correct: Her products are unusual; many consider THEM unique.
Demonstrative pronoun rules:
Do not use “this” or these” in place of nouns on the GMAT (“This is great” is unacceptably vague as a sentence on the GMAT)
Do not use “that” or “those” in place of nouns unless you modify “that” or “those” to make them “new copies” (use “it”, “they” or “them” instead)
What are the rules regarding pronoun ambiguity?
Every pronoun should clearly refer to one antecedent
Every “It” and Its” in a sentence should refer to the same singular antecedent
Every “Them”, “They” and “Their” must refer to the same plural antecedent
What is a case and how many are there in English?
A case is the grammatical role or function for nouns and pronouns. There are 3 cases in English.
1) Subject Pronouns: can be subjects of sentences
(I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who)
2) Object Pronouns: can the object of verbs and prepositions
(me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom)
3) Possessive Pronouns: indicate ownership or a similar relation
(my / mine, your / yours, his, her / hers, its, our / ours, their / theirs, whose)
Nouns in the possessive case (with s’ or ‘s) are often poor antecedents (executives’ or executive’s compensation); however, we can generally correct such a sentence by taking the possessing noun out of the possessive case
Don’t apply this pronoun ambiguity unless backed into a corner and choosing between two identical answers expect on has a pronoun referring to a possessive noun and the other doesn’t
What are modifiers?
Modifiers describe or modify someone or something in a sentence (many modifying phrases on the GMAT are separated by commas from the noun being modified)
Examples include Adjectives & Adverbs, which are are one word modifiers:
- Adjectives modify only nouns or pronouns
- Adverbs modify almost anything but a noun or pronoun (often modify a verb, adjective, another adverb, preposition, phrase or even whole clause)
What is a linking verb?
Linking verbs are followed by adjectives, not adverbs (ex. feel)
These adjectives do not modify the verb, but rather identify a quality with the noun subject
ex. “Amy is feeling well”, well is the adjective that modifies the noun, “Amy”
What is a noun modifier and how are they positioned?
A noun modifier is a phrase or clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
Noun modifiers follow the touch rule - a noun and it’s modifier should touch each other (if the modifier is next to a different noun then it is a misplaced modifier)
Ex. of misplaced modifier: Jim biked along an old dirt ROAD to get to his house, which cut through the woods. (The house cannot cut through the woods)
Note that unlike a noun modifier, a verb modifier does not have to touch the subject
What is an appositive?
An appositive is a noun used to modify another noun
ex. “The CAT, a TABBY raised on a farm, took a nap.”
In the example above, “Tabby” is modifying “cat”, but is also being modified by past participle “raised on a farm”
What is a dangling modifier?
A dangling modifier is created when a noun that we want to modify is not even in the sentence.
Wrong: Resigned to the bad news, there was no commotion in the office.
Right: Resigned to the bad news, the office workers made no commotion.
What is wrong with the following sentence:
Unskilled in complex math, Bill’s score on the exam was poor.
The “unskilled in math” modifier is referring to Bill’s score and cannot modify Bill (obviously not what the author’s intended meaning was)
We must watch out for possessive nouns (nouns that end in ‘s or s’) as misplaced modifiers can appear in sentences with possessive nouns.
What is a relative pronoun and how does it relate to modifiers including the rules they are subject to?
A relative pronoun often introduces noun modifiers (which, that, who, whose, whom, where, when).
Restrictions:
- “Who” and “whom” must modify people
- “Which” must modify things (not people or places)
- “That” according to the GMAT, clauses led by “that” cannot modify people
- “Whose” can modify either people or things
- “Which” or “Whom” sometimes follows prepositions (ex. the canal through which water flows)
- “Who” is used as the subject of a verb in a relative clause
- “Whom” is used as the subject of the verb of a preposition
- “That” or “Whom” can be dropped when the modified noun is the object of the modifying clause
WRONG: *The movie THAT we watched last Friday was scary.”
RIGHT: “The movie we watched last Friday was scary.” - “Where” can be used to modify a noun place such as an area, site, country, but CANNOT modify a “metaphorical” place such as a condition, situation, case, circumstance or arrangement (use “which” rather than “where” in this scenario”
WRONG: “We had an arrangement WHERE he cooked and I cleaned.”
RIGHT: “We had an arrangement in WHICH he cooked and I cleaned.” - “When” can be used to modify a noun event or time such as period, age, 1987 or decade (you can also use “which” instead of “when”)
What is an essential modifier?
Essential modifiers provide necessary information (ex. “The mansion PAINTED RED is owned by the Lees. - “painted red” is necessary to identify the mission)
Put NO COMMAS between essential modifiers and their nouns
What is a non-essential modifier?
Non-essential modifiers provide extra information (not needed to identify the noun)
(ex. “This mansion, RECENTLY PAINTED RED, is owned by the Lees. - “recently painted red” is not necessary because we already know which mansion)
Put COMMAS between non-essential modifiers and their nouns
Note that “which” and “who” can appear as either essential or non-essential modifiers (such as in a preposition), but you should still follow comma rules for essential and non-essential modifiers
What is a verb modifier?
A verb modifier modifies verbs (answers questions about the verb such as how, when, where, why, etc.)
Verb modifiers can be placed more freely than noun modifiers (which must generally touch the modified noun) but should always be placed to modify the right verb without ambiguity)
What rule applies to “which” and its use as a modifier?
“Which” can only be used to refer to the noun immediately preceding it (never to refer to an entire clause)
What is a present participle?
A present participle is a verb form that indicates an ongoing state or state in the present (-ing verb form)
-ing form is very flexible:
- it can modify nouns directly (the CHANGING seasons)
- it can modify verbs and their subject (I lifted the weight, WHISTLING)
- it can modify an entire clause as long as the entire clause is converted into a noun phrase that could function as the subject of the verb that is now in the -ing form (works best to express the result of a main clause)
Note: We often use which to refer to a previous thought that is not a noun in everyday speech - that is wrong
What is verb tense?
Verb tense indicates when the action of the verb took place
Trusting your ear works well for verb tense, mood and voice
What are the 3 simple verb tenses?
Simple Tenses: basic times
1) Simple Present (ex. plays) (expresses eternal states or frequent events)
2) Simple Past (ex. played)
3) Simple Future (ex. will play)
- Simple present is use for general definitions, not present progressive
- Simple future is used to indicate future actions, not present progressive
(ex. Wrong: Q is meeting H for lunch tomorrow.)
(ex. Right: Q will meet H for lunch tomorrow.)
What are the 3 progressive tenses?
Progressive Tenses: emphasize ongoing nature of actions which use the verb “to be” and present participle (-ing form)
1) Present Progressive (ex. is playing) (happening right now)
2) Past Progressive (ex. was playing)
3) Future progressive (ex. will be playing)
Verbs that express general states do not take the progressive form (ex. know, signify)
(ex. WRONG: The inscription IS SIGNIFYING the emperor’s birth. - We need to replace “is signifying” with “signifies”)
Make sure that verb tenses clearly represent the author’s meaning because changing tenses can change sentence meaning
What are the 2 perfect tenses?
1) Present Perfect
2) Past Perfect
Define the present perfect tense
Present Perfect tense applies to actions that started in the past but continue into the present or remain true in the present (ex. We HAVE LIVED in the hunt for three days.)
**Present Perfect = Have / Has + Past Participle
Past participle of a regular verb is simply the verb with an -ed (walk -> walked). Irregular verbs are case specific but easy (go -> gone, see -> seen)
Present perfect can also mean that the action is definitely over, but the effect is still relevant to the present moment (ex. The child HAS DRAWN a square in the sand.)
Present perfect indicates either continued action or continued effect of a completed action up to the present
Use perfect tenses only when necessary, the GMAT prefers simplicity
Present Perfect = ?
Present Perfect = Have / Has + Past Participle
Past participle of a regular verb is simply the verb with an -ed (walk -> walked). Irregular verbs are case specific but easy (go -> gone, see -> seen)
Define the past perfect tense
Past Perfect tense applies if two actions occurred at different times in the past. We often use Past Perfect for the earlier action and Simple Past for the later action (ex. The teacher though that J HAD CHEATED on the exam.”)
It is not necessary to use Past Perfect when the sequence in obvious (ex. I DROVE to the store and BOUGHT some ice cream.)
Clauses linked by “and “or “but” do not require Past Perfect
Use perfect tenses only when necessary, the GMAT prefers simplicity
Past Perfect = ?
Past Perfect = Had + Past Participle
Define a conditional tense
A conditional tense is formed by combining “would” with the base form of the verb (ex. would provide). Helping verbs express the future from the past’s point of view. Avoid mixing it with present time.
(ex. WRONG: The scientist BELIEVES that the machine WOULD BE wonderful.)
(ex. RIGHT: The scientist BELIEVED that the machine WOULD BE wonderful.)
Define verb mood and list the two moods tested on the GMAT
Verb mood indicates what the writer believes about, or wants to do with, the action
1) Subjunctive Mood - expresses facts
2) Indicative Mood - (a) unlikely or unreal conditions (usually after “if” or a similar word)
(b) proposals, desires, and requests formed with certain verbs and the word “that”
Imperative Mood (commands) not tested on the GMAT
Define the hypothetical subjunctive
Hypothetical Subjunctive indicates unlikely or unreal conditions (usually after “if”, “as if”, “as though”)
(ex. To overcome my fear of germs, I will think about disease AS THOUGH IT WERE harmless. - “as though” reveals that the author thinks disease is not harmless)
Hypothetical subjunctive basic form = simple past of every verb EXCEPT:
For the verb “to be”, the form “were” is always used (even though the simple past of “be” is both “were” and “was”)
**Remember: “If I WERE a rich man” NOT “If I WAS a rich man”.
For “If…then” constructions, “would” and “should” should never go in the if part of the sentence
(ex. “If Sophie eats pizza”, then we becomes ill” - avoid using would or should in the quoted part of the sentence)
Define the command subjunctive
Command Subjunctive is used with “bossy” verbs - tells people to do things (ex. require, propose)
Bossy Verb + That + Subject + Command Subjunctive
(command subjunctive construction with a bossy verb - “We PROPOSE THAT the school board DISBAND.”)
Bare form - the infinite (to disband) without the “to” (ex. disband, the school board)
Bare form is like simple present except:
1) no -s on the end for a 3rd person singular
(ex. that the school board DISBAND not DISBANDS)
2) the form of the verb “to be” is always just “be” (not “is”, “are” or “am”)
Not every bossy verb uses the command subjunctive (ex. “want” cannot use the command subjunctive but rather an infinitive [to + the bare form])
ex. RIGHT: The VP WANTS her TO GO to the retreat.
ex. WRONG: The VP WANTS THAT she GO to the retreat.
Deciding whether the bossy verb should take the subjunctive or infinitive construction is based on idioms
Common verbs that only take the command subjunctive when indicating desire (demand, dictate, insist, mandate, propose, recommend, request, stipulate, suggest)
(ex. We DEMAND THAT HE BE here)
Propose can take an infinitive where there is no 2nd subject (ex. The attorney proposed to meet the following day.)
Verbs that only take the infinitive (advise, allow, forbid, persuade, want)
(ex. We ALLOW HIM TO BE there)
Verbs that take either the command subjunctive or infinitive (ask, beg, intend, prefer, urge, require)
(ex. We REQUIRE THAT HE BE HERE) or (We REQUIRE HIM TO BE HERE)
Define Verb Voice and list the 2 types of voices
Verb voice indicates who or what is doing the action
1) Active Voice - the subject of the sentence performs the action (ex. The hungry students ATE the pizza.)
2) Passive Voice - the subject of the sentence has an action performed on it by someone or something else (ex. The pizza WAS eaten by hungry students.)
Passive voice is formed with a form of the verb “to be” followed by a past participle (do not use other verbs beside “to be” for the passive voice
Use “by” only for actual doers of the action
Use “through” or “because of” when you want to describe any instrument or means (which might be an awkward or nonsensical subject in active voice)
(ex. THROUGH a quirk of fate, the pizza WAS accidentally EATEN.)
If a “by” phrased is forced upon us (“by” is not in the underlined part of the sentence correction) then we must use the passive voice)
Only transitive verbs (verbs that take direct objects) can be written in passive voice (ex. You can EAT something, so something can BE EATEN.)
The verb arrive cannot be used in passive voice because you can arrive something or be arrived\
Remember active or passive voice is a matter of choice (passive can sometimes be longer and more awkward but still correct)
Active and Passive does not need to be parallel throughout a sentence (ex. The shuttle launch TOOK place flawlessly and WAS SEEN on television.)
Give examples of comparison signals
Comparison is a form of parallelism that deserves special attention
Comparison signals:
like unlike more than less than faster than different from in contrast to / with as as [adjective] as as much as as little as as fast as the same as
The most important comparison signals are “like”, “unlike”, “as”, and “than” (When you spot a signal, ensure that the comparison is parallel)
“Like” is a preposition and must be followed by gerunds, nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases (never a clause or prepositional phrase)
“As” can be a preposition (appearing with a noun) or a conjunction (appearing with a clause) and can be used to compare two clause
Omitted words - Often you can omit words in the second part of the comparison (such as with possessive nouns ex. “My care is bigger than Brian’s [car].)
The possessing noun can be singular or plural regardless of the implied possessed noun (ex. Brian’s [cars] or the Smith’s [cars])
You can even omit units, verbs and even whole clauses as long as there is no ambiguity:
- (units) Where as I drink 2 quarts of milk a day, my friend drinks 3 [quarts].
- (verbs) I walk faster than Brian [walks].
- (clauses) I walk as fast now as [I walked] when I was younger.
Only add omitted words or appropriate helping verbs (be, do, have) if you need to resolve ambiguity
What is the comparative form and superlative form?
The comparative form for an adjective or adverb is used when comparing two things
ex. She is SHORTER than her sister (add -er)
(ex. more interesting, less interesting)
The superlative form of an adjective or adverb is used when comparing MORE than two things
ex. She is the shortest of her five sibling (add -est)
(ex. most interesting, least interesting)
Do not compare an adverb that ends in -ly by changing the ending to -er, instead add “more”
WRONG:Adam runs QUICKLY. He runs QUICKER than Jacob.
Right: Adam runes QUICKLY. He runes MORE QUICKLY than Jacob.
Do not use a comparative adjective unless you have “than” in the sentence
ex. WRONG: With winter coming, I will have HIGHER energy bills. (implies the comparison “than now”, but it must be made explicit using “than”.
ex. RIGHT: With winter coming, I will have HIGHER energy bills than now.
What is an idiom?
Idioms are expressions that have unique forms
When comparing idiom expressions, spot the difference in words and extract them to test them in a simpler sentence, then test the idiom you picked on the entire sentence.
What are the 7 specific things that we analyze a sentence for?
1) Subject-verb agreement
2) Parallelism
3) Pronouns
4) Modifiers
5) Verb Tense, Mood, & Voice
6) Comparisons
7) Idioms
What are connecting words?
What is a fragment sentence?
What is a run-on sentence?
Connecting words link together phrases and clauses to combine them into a complete grammatical sentence
Avoid:
Fragments - lack a main clause
Run-on - two main clauses incorrectly joined
A comma is not enough to join two main clauses
What are coordinating conjunctions?
Coordinating conjunctions, together with a comma, can link two main clauses (and, but, or, for, nor, yet, so)
When “and” is next to a comma, check for:
1) Lists (x, y, AND z)
2) Two main clauses (I like x, and she likes y)
Comma + Coordinating conjunction (allows two main clauses to coexist)
Clauses should also be connected by sensible connecting words (WRONG: She is not interested in sports, AND she likes watching them on TV. - “and” should be replaced with “but”)
Define the role of a comma (,)
A comma (,) is not exclusively tested on the GMAT, but it is an important signal and separator of modifiers, items in a list and other elements
Non-essential modifiers are separated by commons
ex. This car, purchased last year, is a Buick.
Essential modifiers are not separated by commas
ex. The car purchased last year is a Buick.
Define the role of a semicolon (;)
A semicolon (;) connects two closely related statements, but each statement must be able to stand alone as an independent sentence
ex. Earl walked to school; he later ate his lunch.
Conjunctive adverbs (transition expressions) often follow semicolons (ex. however, therefore, in addition - are not true conjunctions like “and” and as a result we must use semicolons, not commas, to join the sentences. Note that they modify the equal relationship that a bare semicolon implies. ex. A and B are inseparable; therefore, we never see them apart.)
Define the role of a colon (:)
A colon (:) provides further explanation for what comes before it
You should be able to insert the word “namely” or the phrase “that is: after the colon to test that it was used correctly
ex. I love listening to many kinds of music: [namely or that is] classical, rock, rap, and pop.
Note that whatever needs explanation should be placed as close to the colon as possible
A main clause can follow a colon as long as it explains what precedes the colon
Define the role of a Dash (-)
A dash (-) is a flexible punctuation mark that can be used as an emphatic comma, semicolon, or colon
Dashes are preferred to separate an appositive (noun or pronoun often with modifiers, set beside a noun or pronoun to explain or identify it) from an item in a list
ex. My three best friends - Danny, Jimmy, Joey - and I went skiing. (If a comma was used, it might confuse people into thinking that 7 people went skiing)
Dashes can also be used to explain or restate an earlier part of a sentence (unlike a colon, the dash does not need to be immediately preceded by the part that needs explanation
You really can’t go wrong with a dash
Define Quantity Rule #1
There are words for countable things vs. uncountable things
Countable Modifiers (ex. Hats - many, not many, few, fewer, fewest, number of, fewer than x, numerous, more numerous)
Uncountable Modifiers (ex. Patience - much, not much, little, less, least, amount, less than a certain amount, great, greater)
“More”, “most”, “enough”, and “all” work with both countable (plural) and uncountable (singular nouns)
Do not use “less” with countable items
(Wrong: 10 items or LESS - “less” should be “fewer”
Be careful with unit nouns such as “dollars” or gallons” (they are countable by nature (1 dollar, 2 dollars) but represent uncountable quantities (money, volume)
We use “less” to indicate something about the underlying quantity (ex. We have LESS THAN 20 DOLLARS.)
Define Quantity Rule #2
Words used to relate two things vs. three things
Two Things (Two People): comparative form of adjectives and adverbs (better, worse, more, less)
Three Things or more (Three people or more): use superlative forms (best, worse, most, least)
“Between” is used only with two things or people
(ex. “Between X and Y”, NOT “Between X, Y, and Z”)
“Among” is used only with three or more things or people (Among X, Y, and Z)
Define Quantity Rule #3
“The number” or “number of” vs “a number” or “the number of”
“the number of” = singular
“a number of” = plural
“The numberS of” is almost always incorrect (stick to “the number of”
“NumberS” is possible in a few contexts (use “greater than” instead of “more than” when making a comparison)
WRONG: The rare Montauk beaked griffin is not extinct; its NUMBERS are now suspected to be much MORE than before. (replace “more” with “greater” to correct the sentence)
Define Quantity Rule #4
Increase / Decrease vs. Greater / Less
“Increase” & “Decrease” express a change of one thing over time
“Greater” & “Less” signal a comparison between two things
Watch out for redundancy of “increase” / “decrease”
Wrong: The price of silver FELL by a more than 35% DECREASE
